Treatment for Kids & Teens: Anorexia & Bulimia
Early Intervention & Treatment = Positive Outcome
Congratulations on your decision to seek resources and/or treatment for your child or teen.
Learning that your child is struggling with a potential eating disorder or body-image issue can be both frightening and daunting for a parent. We commend you for acting quickly and for looking into treatment options for your child or teen.
Research consistently indicates that early intervention and treatment is a strong predictor of a positive treatment outcome. Therefore, whether seeking therapeutic and nutritional services at A New Beginning or another eating disorder specialty treatment facility, we encourage you to engage in early and specialized care.
Eating Disorder Trends: Younger Children & Teens
It is a sad reality, consistently cited in recent research statistics and seen within our A New Beginning treatment center, that there is a growing trend toward the development and diagnosis of eating disorders in increasingly younger children and boys.
Historically, eating disorders most typically affected teen-aged girls, aged 13-17 years old. In recent years, however, the average age of onset for an eating disorder has decreased to an average age of 9-13 years old.
Exposure to dieting, social media, and pre-adolescent pressure to be “attractive and thin,” is trickling down to vulnerable pre-teens and children, as well as to young boys.
If your child is displaying signs of an eating disorder or dieting behavior, we suggest scheduling an assessment with a mental health professional who can determine if this problematic behavior warrants a formal diagnosis of an eating disorder and/or needs treatment. Luckily, early treatment is the best predictor of a complete and lasting full recovery from all eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder).
Family Involvement for Effective Treatment
Family involvement is an important component of a positive treatment outcome.
A New Beginning supports fully a family’s need to have active and knowledgeable input regarding the care and treatment of their adolescent and/or child.
As a result, our treatment team requests that families of children aged 16 years and under engage in an appropriate level of therapeutic involvement which integrates them into their child’s overall treatment experience. A minimum of 3 family therapy sessions is, therefore, an important and required component of treatment for anyone 16 years and younger. The exact structure and format of these 3 family sessions will be individually recommended and discussed as part of your child’s treatment plan.
Comprehensive Treatment Options: Anorexia & Bulimia
As part of your child’s comprehensive treatment, our eating disorder team may utilize one or more of the following research-based therapeutic techniques to help your child successfully overcome their disordered eating:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
- RO-DBT Skills
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Family-Based Treatment (FBT) / Maudsley
- Experiential / Expressive Therapy
- Family-of-Origin / Bowenian Therapy
- EMDR
- Group Therapy
- Couple and/or Family Therapy
- Nutrition Therapy (with our eating disorder Registered Dietitian, Melissa Bloom, RD)
- Intuitive Movement (when appropriate in a person’s recovery process)
Thank you for trusting our team with your most precious family member! We value immensely your confidence in our treatment, kindness and care.
